Reclaiming Wellness with Jovanka Ciares

On this episode of the Get Loved Podcast, Koya talks to Jovanka Ciares about the importance of reconnecting with your ancestors and their ancient wellness practices to reclaim your own wellness. As a trained herbalist and nutrition educator, Jovanka talks about unearthing and using the massive amount of wisdom and traditional wellness techniques that ancient civilizations have passed down to generations, some of which have been forgotten in the present day. There’s so much to learn about our own bodies and wellness that is not covered by western medicine, and Jovanka’s expertise on the topic will surely help you unlock your hidden potential. GUEST BIO Jovanka Ciares is the author of Reclaiming Wellness and several other titles. A certified wellness expert, integrative herbalist, nutrition educator, and coach, she offers lectures and workshops in Spanish and English. Ciares studied nutrition with bestselling author T. Colin Campbell, PhD, at his Center for Nutrition Studies (in partnership with Cornell University) and herbalism / plant medicine with Tieraona Low Dog, MD. A native of Puerto Rico, she lives in Los Angeles. Connect with Jovanka and follow her work through the links below: Reclaiming Wellness (Book): https://amzn.to/3rZFPpH Facebook: http://facebook.com/jovankaciares Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jovankaciares Twitter: https://twitter.com/jovankaciares YouTube: http://youtube.com/user/jovankaciares LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jovankaciares/ HIGHLIGHTS 02:17 A second chance at life outside of western medicine 04:28 A deep dive into Reclaiming Wellness 09:24 Practices to enhance your everyday wellness 12:45 The top myth about herbalism 15:13 Jovanka's wellness initiatives 17:51 The best way for people to rebuild communities 21:40 Spirituality and religion can co-exist 24:51 Jovanka's morning and evening routines 29:35 The pros and cons of entrepreneurship 32:07 The importance of water in wellness 34:32 Stop using harsh soaps in your showers 38:42 All about herbs and plant-based diets 42:38 Specific herbal remedies and advice for women 47:34 Jovanka's favorite book 48:17 What Jovanka's ideal world would look like QUOTES 05:41 Jovanka: "It's true that once you get to learn something, you learn to love it. Once you learn to love it, it's easier to implement. So I decided to write this book as an homage to my own ancestry, but also to remind people that in your ancestry lineage, chances are you're going to have some of these practices and it's important that we reclaim them in order to reclaim our natural and our rightful state of wellness." 15:32 Jovanka: "With the development of social media and the way that we can communicate now and spread the word far and wide, it became very obvious especially at the beginning of the pandemic that I was also not reaching the people that I believed need this information the most. So I created the Reclaiming Wellness initiative, it's an educational initiative that essentially teaches people how to use some of these practices so I do cooking classes, how to use herbal medicine, how to prepare your own medicine at home." 21:41 Jovanka: "Spirituality and religion don't have to be at odds with each other. We could have a religious practice that has its dogmas and follows a particular set of tenets and we can be very spiritual and also take from other religions or other spiritual practices to make our lives better." 29:56 Jovanka: "Every time I get off a phone call with a client and they have clarity about what they're supposed to do, they have hope about the fact that they can heal, it just reminds me that I'm in the right place." Please leave a five-star review for the Get Loved Up Podcast. When you leave that review, please take a screenshot and email me at [email protected], and I’ve got a little gift for you. Your thoughts light up Koya’s soul, and it helps continue to bring on great guests. To hear more about Koya Webb and Get Loved Up episodes, please visit her website at https://koyawebb.com/.